Cleaner for felt conditioner in paper making



D. FRICK 3,264,173

CLEANER FOR FELT CONDITIONER IN PAPER MAKING Aug. 2, 1966 Filed Dec. 2, 1963 INV ENT OR Doug/as F ric/r BY g ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,264,173 CLEANER FOR FELT CONDITIONER IN PAPER MAKING Douglas Frick, International Falls, Minn., assignor to Boise Cascade Corporation, Boise, Idaho, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,461

2 Claims. (Cl. 162-274) In the manufacture of paper it is desirable to keep the moving felt clean and in good operating condition. In

cleaning fluid into the felt followed by extraction of a portion, at least, of the injected fluid. To remove the last surge of cleaning fluid from the felt there is provided a small vacuum pipe. This small vacuum pipe often becomes plugged with pulp stock and wool fibers removed from the felt.

The object of this invention is to provide a felt conditioner shoe of the type described above, said shoe being characterized by the provision of novel means for cleaning from the vacuum line the pulp stock and felt fibers accumulated therein.

A further object of the invention relates to a cleaning device which permits the cleaning of the vacuum line quickly without the removal of the felt conditioning shoe.

Other and further objects of the invention and the advantages of the same will be pointed out hereinafter and indicated in the appended claims or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon understanding the present disclosure.

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a papermaking felt conditioning shoe including the cleaning means of the subject invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a detailed side elevational view of one end closure and sealing means of the apparatus of FIG- URE 2; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are side and front elevational views, respectively, of the cleaning member.

The felt conditioner shoe is of the type disclosed in the aforementioned Vickery and Jordan patents and includes means for cleaning at least one of the vacuum lines. The shoe body includes a casing divided into a suction chamber and a water chamber, the top portion of the body being provided with transverse slots 12. In communication with opposite end portions of the shoe body are a main suction conduit 14 and an auxiliary suction pipe 18. The free ends of pipes 14 and lti are connected with T-members 11, 11 having lateral connections that communicate with vacuum lines 16, 16 and which are closed at their ends by similar closure means 17 and 15, respectively. The closure means and 17 carry brackets 30 having pins 27 that rotatably support pulleys 28.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the closure means 17 includes a bushing 40 that is inserted in T-member 11 and receives the threaded packing gland 36. A plastic coated cable 20 having a handle 22 is mounted on pulley 28 and passes succesively through packing nut 32, through the packing seal means 38 mounted in a threaded counterbore in gland 36, through a longitudinal passage in the gland 36, and into the shoe chamber. The cable then passes successively around a stainless steel pin tangent to the opening receiving end of pipe 18, longitudinally through the pipe 18, and through packing means (not shown) associated with end closure means 15. The cable passes around pulley 28 and is connected with a suitable handle or stop 24. The pin 25 serves as a guide for the cable into and out of suction pipe 18. The cable is of suflicient length to permit complete travel of the cleaning member 23. Longitudinally mounted upon that portion of cable 20 initially within the T-member 11' of the auxiliary pipe 18 is a cleaning member (FIGURES 4 and 5) that is rigidly connected with the cable by pin 21. The cleaning member 23, which is generally diamondshaped in longitudinal cross-section and circular in transverse cross-section, has at each end the configuration of a convergent cone. The cable 20 has such a length that upon pulling the handle 22, the cleaning member is displaced from the retracted inoperative position within T-member 11' to the cleaning position 23A (FIGURE 1). The maximum outer diameter of the cleaning member 23 is small enough to permit easy passage through the pipe 18, and yet large enough to force the accumulated fibers in the pipe back into the shoe chamber. Consequently, the invention enables the quick clean-up of the suction line to the felt cleaner. Upon further pulling of handle 22, the cleaning member 23 may be drawn through con-- duit 14 and into the T-member 11, whereby the main suction conduit is also cleaned. Upon pulling of the handle 24, the cleaning member is returned to its initial retracted position in the T-member 11.

As a consequence of the threaded connections of the end closure members 15 and 17, the apparatus may be readily assembled and disassembled. Furthermore, the sealing pressure of the packing 38 may be easily adjusted as desired. The elements illustrated in FIGURES 3-5 are preferably formed of brass or stainless steel. The other parts, pipes and the like may be made of any suitable material.

In accordance With the patent statutes, there has been described the principles of construction and operation of the improvement in felt conditioner cleaner, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed:

1. A felt conditioning shoe, comprising, in combination:

a shoe body defining a suction chamber and containing a pair of longitudinally spaced openings communicating with said chamber;

a pair of vacuum conduits each connected at one end with one of said body openings, respectively;

closure means including a pair of packing gland seal means for closing the other ends of said conduits, respectively, said conduits containing lateral openings for affording connection with vacuum producing means;

a cable extending successively through one of said packing gland seal means, the vacuum conduit associated therewith, the suction chamber, the other vacuum conduit, and the other of said packing gland seal means; v

a pair of guide pulley means carried by said closure means externally of said conduits, respectively, for supporting the free ends of said cable;

a pair of stop handles secured to the extremities of said cable, respectively;

and a cleaning member within at least one of said conduits, said cleaning member being carried by and fixed against longitudinal movement relative to said cable, said cleaning member having in transverse 3 4 cross-section a circular configuration the maximum References Cited by the Examiner diameter of which is slightly less than the internal UNITED STATES PATENTS diameter of said one conduit to permit free longitudinal travel of said cleaning member through said 44 1 1 19 Beardsley 15 1 4 1 conduit, thereby to efiect removal of the fibers ac- 5 2 2 3 7 5 9 2 Schueler 15 1 5 cumulated therein- 2,544,572 3/1951 Vickery 162279 2. A felt conditioner shoe as defined in claim 1, where- 7 5 2 2 5 Pletchgr 134 in the longitudinal ends of said cleaning member define convergent conical portions, whereby said cleaning mern- DONALL II SYLVESTER, Primary Examiner. ber has in longitudinal cross-section a generally diamond- 10 shaped configuration. S. LEON BASHORE, Exammer. 

1. A FELT CONDITIONING SHOE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A SHOE BODY DEFINING A SUCTION CHAMBER AND CONTAINING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED OPENINGS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER; A PAIR OF VACUUM CONDUITS EACH CONNECTED AT ONE END WITH ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, RESPECTIVELY; CLOSURE MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF PACKING GLAND SEAL MEANS FOR CLOSING THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID CONDUITS RESPECTIVELY, SAID CONDUIT CONTAINING LATERAL OPENINGS FOR AFFORDING CONNECTION WITH VACUUM PRODUCING MEANS; A CABLE EXTENDING SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH ONE OF SAID PACKING GLAND SEAL MEANS, THE VACUUM CONDUIT ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, THE SUCTION CHAMBER, THE OTHER VACUUM CONDUIT, AND THE OTHER OF SAID PACKING GLAND SEAL MEANS; A PAIR OF GUIDE PULLEY MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLOSURE MEANS EXTERNALLY OF SAID CONDUITS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR SUPPORTING THE FREE ENDS OF SAID CABLE; A PAIR OF STOP HANDLESS SECURED TO THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID CABLE, RESPECTIVELY; 